1. FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to flexible car covers, and more particularly to a cover for the cab portion of a vehicle, the cover having theft resistant anchoring members secured by closing a vehicle door or window thereover.
2. DESCRIPTION OF THE PRIOR ART
Motor vehicles, and particularly privately owned automobiles, are susceptible to being rendered uncomfortable and to being damaged by periodic exposure to the sun and weather. One especially vexing problem for the typical owner of a car is that when parked temporarily in the sun, the passenger compartment quickly becomes quite hot. This is very uncomfortable to passengers upon returning to the vehicle. It is also potentially damaging to the car and its contents. Plastic and leather fabrics and coverings are more rapidly aged or dried by exposure to heat or to ultraviolet light which enters the cab. Certain personal property commonly carried in cars, such as magnetic audio tapes, are also quite susceptible to damage from heat.
Other environmental hazards which are desirable to avoid include dust, dirt, rain, snow, frost, and ice formation on vehicle windows.
Motor vehicle covers have been developed to protect vehicles from these conditions. Some are full body covers, that is, which envelope or cover an entire vehicle body. Others are designed specifically to cover only the window area, since both heat and window fouling hazards impinge principally on the cab area of motor vehicles. A cover which covers the windows only, or which covers roof and windows, will be termed a cab cover. A full body cover can be awkward and unwieldy to install, unattractive, and may occupy a large amount of space when stored.
Both types of covers, full body and cab, if sufficiently small, light, and flexible as to conform to vehicle body contours and to be easily installed and removed, are susceptible to theft.
Car covers, therefore, must be designed to accommodate conflicting requirements. Many different approaches have been attempted to produce a satisfactory cover.
Covers which are contoured and configured specifically to protect only the cab portion of a car are seen in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,842,324, issued to Harvey K. Carden on Jun. 27, 1989; 4,972,892, issued to George C. Yeh on Nov. 27, 1990; and 5,029,933, issued to Vernon A. Gillem on Jul. 9, 1991. The cover of Carden '324 comprises a rectangular panel having slit corners, so that the resultant cover conforms closely to the cab when draped thereover. Theft deterrence is addressed by locating one end of the cover in the vehicle trunk, a portion feeding through the gap between trunk lid and body. When closed, the trunk lid effectively secures the cover against theft. Securement against theft by entrapment by a trunk lid is also seen in Gillem '933.
Yeh '892 also slits the corners of a triangular fabric to produce a conforming cover. The cover is further secured to the vehicle by magnetic adhesion of magnets embedded in the cover fabric, and by straps having hook and loop fasteners. The cover of this invention is made from plural plies, there being sun resistant material facing in one direction, and water repellant material exposed on the other side. The cover is reversible, thus providing both heat protection in the summer, and freeze protection in the winter.
A full body cover is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,188,417, issued to Donald B. Curchod on Feb. 23, 1993. The cover disclosed therein is stowed in the trunk and feeds therefrom for deployment. Further securement against theft is provided by closing vehicle doors over a portion of the cover.
It would be possible to secure a vehicle cover by passing a strap or cable through the gap between a vehicle door and body, there being an enlarged member preventing the strap or cable from being pulled free. This is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,242,205, issued to John M. Garner.
In a further effort to deter theft, Garner provides an audible alarm incorporated into the enlarged member.
Multilayered fabrics for car covers are exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,821,785, issued to Rolan on Apr. 18, 1989. Rolan's fabric includes an inner layer of a smooth, self-lubricating material for protecting the exterior paint or finish, as polyethylene or polypropylene. A reinforcing layer is provided next, when the first layer lacks sufficient strength. A vapor-tight and light resistant barrier is then provided by an outer plastic film, such as polyester, and a thin metal layer.
None of the above inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed.